Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining Salary
In Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings earn $49,920 at the median, or about $24 an hour. The range runs from $39K at the entry level to $66K for experienced workers. Adjusted for local prices (RPP 98.63), that's roughly $50,613 in purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,573/month, about 43.8% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $50K get you in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands’s Regional Price Parity (98.63). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
About excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings
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What this looks like in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Pay for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands runs about 13% below the U.S. median of $57K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,573/month, which is 44.8% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost of living (RPP 98.63) is near the national average, so spending patterns here track the typical American budget fairly closely. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings in metros near Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $52K | $50K |
| San Antonio-New Braunfels | $48K | $51K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $51K | $52K |
| Midland | $49K | $51K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Entry-level excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings (10th percentile) start around $39K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $66K or more, a $27K spread from bottom to top.
Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Excavating and Loading Machine and Dragline Operators, Surface Mining salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | $90K | +57% | 220 |
| Illinois | $81K | +40% | 1,310 |
| New Jersey | $80K | +40% | 740 |
| Wyoming | $78K | +36% | 420 |
| New Mexico | $76K | +33% | 270 |
| Massachusetts | $76K | +32% | 280 |
| Alaska | $75K | +30% | 140 |
| California | $75K | +30% | 790 |
| Montana | $66K | +15% | 150 |
| Connecticut | $66K | +14% | 280 |
| Washington | $64K | +12% | 640 |
| Nevada | $64K | +11% | 730 |
| Indiana | $62K | +8% | 1,530 |
| West Virginia | $61K | +7% | 650 |
| Oregon | $61K | +7% | 310 |
| Minnesota | $61K | +7% | 520 |
| Colorado | $61K | +6% | 820 |
| Arizona | $60K | +5% | 560 |
| Vermont | $60K | +4% | 250 |
| Rhode Island | $60K | +4% | 50 |
| Virginia | $59K | +4% | 1,150 |
| Iowa | $59K | +3% | 560 |
| Michigan | $59K | +3% | 880 |
| Idaho | $59K | +2% | 190 |
| North Carolina | $59K | +2% | N/A |
| New Hampshire | $59K | +2% | 350 |
| Nebraska | $58K | +2% | 300 |
| Wisconsin | $58K | +1% | 990 |
| Ohio | $58K | +1% | 1,120 |
| New York | $58K | +1% | 1,490 |
| Maryland | $58K | +0% | 730 |
| Missouri | $57K | -1% | 310 |
| Maine | $56K | -3% | 230 |
| Utah | $54K | -5% | 400 |
| Louisiana | $54K | -7% | 280 |
| South Carolina | $53K | -8% | 330 |
| Pennsylvania | $52K | -9% | 1,520 |
| Florida | $52K | -9% | 1,480 |
| Georgia | $50K | -12% | 1,180 |
| Tennessee | $50K | -14% | 550 |
| Texas | $49K | -15% | 5,030 |
| Kansas | $49K | -15% | 270 |
| Mississippi | $48K | -16% | 290 |
| South Dakota | $48K | -16% | 280 |
| Kentucky | $48K | -17% | 790 |
| Alabama | $48K | -17% | 410 |
| Oklahoma | $47K | -18% | 1,440 |
| Delaware | $47K | -18% | 130 |
| Arkansas | $46K | -20% | 250 |
Showing 1–10 of 49 states with published data
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining afford a 2BR apartment alone in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 44.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings typically earn — is $39K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,368/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 66% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining a high-paying job in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Local pay runs 13% below the national median — $50K here vs. $57K nationally.
How does Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands compare to the national average for excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $57K — that’s -13%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $51K — below the national median.
How much do excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings make in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?
The median is $49,920 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $39,470, and experienced excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings can clear $66,040. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,512/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 44.8% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining salary go in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands?
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface mining salary is worth about $50,613 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do excavating and loading machine and dragline operators, surface minings get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.